JEDDAH, 5 December 2006 — Effective yesterday, Saudi authorities banned expatriates without Haj permits from entering Makkah. Only expatriates with permits entitling them to enter the holy city or those who work there will be allowed in.
“Expatriates from other parts of the Kingdom are prevented from entering Makkah during the Haj season. This move seeks to make the Haj more comfortable and safe,” Maj. Gen. Abid Kateb, director general of Haj and Umrah Affairs at the Passport Department told Arab News yesterday. The ban will remain in force until the ninth of Dul Hijjah (Dec. 29), the day of the ritual standing at Arafat which is central to the pilgrimage.
Maj. Gen. Abid explained: “The ban has been imposed in order to end the practice of thousands of unauthorized expatriates sneaking into the holy city several days before the beginning of Haj and defeating the purpose of regulating the number of pilgrims present at the holy sites. Thousands of expatriates have been found performing Haj illegally over the past few years.”
